1999 Canadian Grand Prix
13 June |officialname = XXXVII Grand Prix Air Canada |circuit = Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |location = Montreal, Quebec, Canada |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 4.421 |laps = 69 |distance = 305.049 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:19.298 |fastestlap = 1:20.382 |fastestlapdriver = Eddie Irvine |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 62 |winner = Mika Häkkinen |winnernation = FIN |winnerteam = |second = Giancarlo Fisichella |secondnation = ITA |secondteam = |third = Eddie Irvine |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The 1999 Canadian Grand Prix, otherwise advertised as the XXXVII Grand Prix Air Canada, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, on the 13 June 1999.'Canadian GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr636.html, (Accessed 27/08/2019) The race would see Mika Häkkinen claim victory, as three World Champions smashed into the wall at the final chicane, leading it to be named the "Wall of Champions". For the first time in 1999 someone other than Häkkinen would start a Grand Prix from pole position, with Michael Schumacher beating the Finn by 0.029s during qualifying. Their teammates Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard would share the second row, while Rubens Barrichello secured a strong fifth for . The start saw Häkkinen get a better initial launch than Schumacher, prompting the German racer to sweep across the nose of the Finn to prevent him from charging ahead. The ploy worked with Schumacher holding the lead, while Coulthard found himself behind Giancarlo Fisichella. Behind, Jarno Trulli was forced to cut across the grass into the first corner, fighting with Heinz-Harald Frentzen into the first corner. The Italian duly spun and smashed into Jean Alesi and Rubens Barrichello, resulting in the Safety Car being called out. The race restarted at the start of lap three, with Schumacher leaping clear of Häkkinen, while Irvine watched on in third. Yet, as the field came to end of the lap the safety car would be called out again, with Ricardo Zonta spinning into the wall at the final chicane in his . The second restart came and went without issue, with the race finally getting underway properly on lap six. Once again, Schumacher eased clear of Häkkinen, while Coulthard squabbled with Irvine, having moved ahead of Fisichella in between to two safety car periods. Indeed, the race remained green through the second accident of the day at turn fourteen, with Damon Hill slapping the wall before pulling off in an escape road. He duly walked across the circuit and back to the garage without issue, with Schumacher easing away from Häkkinen out front. That was, until Schumacher contrived to hit the wall himself on lap 30, pushing too hard having been on the verge of making his stop. Jacques Villeneuve then followed him into the wall on lap 35 to break the hearts of the home fans, resulting in the safety car being called out for the third time. All that left Häkkinen leading from Irvine and Coulthard, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen now in fourth. Yet, that all changed again as the race restarted on lap 41, with Coulthard trying to lunge around the outside of Irvine into turn one, only to touch the and send both cars spinning. Both would rejoin, albeit down the field, with Coulthard requiring a new nose. They would spend the rest of the afternoon fighting their way back up the order, only for the race to be effectively ended late on by the fourth and final appearance of the safety car. The cause this time would be Frentzen, who suffered a brake failure on lap 66 and had a massive accident at turn three. The safety peeled off at the end of the final lap, with Häkkinen sweeping across the line to claim victory ahead of Fisichella, while Irvine recovered well to complete the podium. The 1999 Canadian Grand Prix hence set the record for the most safety cars in a Grand Prix, as well as the first ever F1 race to finish behind the safety car. Background Mika Häkkinen moved into second in the Championship after his second win of the season, leaving Spain six behind the leader. Michael Schumacher had therefore retained his lead in the hunt, although his advantage had been reduced by the Finn severely after his win. Behind, Eddie Irvine had lost ground in third, as had Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the head of the next group of drivers in fourth. In the Constructors Championship it had been a positive day for , who cut the gap between themselves and to fifteen points. The Scuderia still led the way, leaving Spain on 51, although McLaren-Mercedes had the advantage in raw pace with a third of the season gone. Elsewhere, seemed to already be out of the fight in third, with and completing the top five. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Frentzen was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 25th Grand Prix entry for Alexander Wurz.'1999 Canadian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=Canadian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 27/08/2019) * Michael Schumacher scored the 125th pole position for as a constructor and engine supplier.'6. Canada 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/canada.aspx, (Accessed 27/08/2019) * Mika Häkkinen secured his twelfth career victory. * claimed their 119th win as a constructor. ** 24th win for as an engine supplier. * Eddie Irvine recorded the only fastest lap of his career. Standings Mika Häkkinen overturned a six point deficit with victory to leave Canada with a four point lead, with the Finn holding 34 points at the end of the weekend. Indeed, had Michael Schumacher not crashed out the German would still have led the Championship, but would instead leave Canada in second, four off the leader. Eddie Irvine was still in third, nine behind the defending Champion, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Giancarlo Fisichella completed the top five. In the Constructors Championship it was still who led the way, although had done a lot of damage. Indeed, the Anglo-German squad left Canada nine behind the Scuderia, with those two set to duel for the crown for a second straight season. Elsewhere, had retained third ahead of , while completed the top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Canadian Grand Prix Category:1999 Grands Prix